I moved to Burlington in 2020 under the shadow of the pandemic while many famous local eating establishments were being shuttered. On the rare occasion I was able to eat out, Penny Cluse, the well-known brunch spot on Cherry Street, sat high on my list. After having only dined there a few times, they closed their doors in December of 2023. But the signature biscuits and herbed gravy can be enjoyed again in a new embodiment, Deep City.  

Deep City was the brainchild of Charles Reeves (co-owner of the late Penny Cluse) and the owners of Foam Brewers. In early 2024, Deep City officially reopened under the culinary direction of Reeves with the help of front of the house manager Anastasia Evans. 

We called to check their ability and went in. The brightly lit space with views to the nearby lake is a perfect home for a classic Burlington brunch. The high-ceilinged dining room takes up the other half of the building that houses Foam Brewers. The crowd was a wonderful mix of young and old and everyone in-between, all greeted and ushered in by Anastasia Evens, longtime floor manager and other half of the Penny Cluse ownership, who keeps an orderly list of names and wait times at the walk-in only spot. Seating is beautiful inside and out, with umbrellas and heaters available to allow people to enjoy the views in all kinds of weather. And they are friendly to visitors with small children and dogs alike. 

The service was an excellent balance of efficiency and relaxation, keeping the waits within reason, the food delivery well-timed and there was no rush to get you back out the door.  The menu is not extensive, but is for the most part vegetarian. At most restaurants my choices are limited to meatless options, so to have most of the menu to choose from was great. 

We started with grilled gingerbread and a fruit bowl. The fruit bowl was a delightful assortment of the more traditional berries: melon, pear and apple, to the more exotic or tropical, kiwi, date and rambutan. For the main brunch course, we decided to mix sweet and savory with the signature ‘Penny Cluse’ biscuits and herbed gravy with eggs and homefries (or grits) and the polenta with black beans and eggs. The biscuits and gravy tasted just as they had at Penny Cluse, deliciously filling. The polenta was soft and succulent and floated in a shallow pool of salsa ranchero, black beans, pico de gallo and sour cream.  

While it would have been a true test of a brunch menu to focus on eggs alone, it would also be a bit unfair, so despite the fact that our beliles could hardly handle it, we braved a gingerbread pancake as well. Topped deliciously and attractively with a small slice of pomelo and a side of Vermont maple syrup, it was the perfect sweet finish to a delightful meal.

The meal was excellent, but more than that, Deep City’s new iteration is a triumph for the food scene in Burlington. It was a great experience with a familiar and excellent menu.